This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Click HERE to read my policies & disclaimers if you're interested. I will only link products I use and personally recommend. Thank you for your support, friends!

Candied jalapeños make everything better. If you’re into spicy and sweet flavor profiles, these are for you. And if you’re around my growing zone, whatever that may be because I’m not actually a real gardener because I don’t know my grow zone, you have fresh jalapenos and banana peppers coming out YOUR EARS. This is an amazing way to quickly preserve jalapenos that are useful and so delicious. Dump a jar over cream cheese or chevre and make some homemade crackers for a quick snack or appetizer, pile on top of pulled pork sandwiches, ramp up your favorite macaroni salads, or even top nachos with them! They’re versatile and add a little to something to just about anything you’d imagine them on!

In This Post You'll Find...

Open Kettle Canning

Since this recipe is high acid, meaning there is a large vinegar component and sugar, I choose to open kettle can this, but I will also give water bath canning and steam canning times. Open kettle canning is simply adding hot food to a hot, sterilized jar, and topping with a hot lid and securing with a screw band, then setting aside to seal. There is no further processing and I do this with all my pickling and relishes and jams. It is a rebel canning method as it is no longer approved, but it was a method used years before me successfully. My opinion is that it fell out of approval because people weren’t doing it right and their foods weren’t sealing or storing. The NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) wants to give you popular recipes that give you the best chance for storage, prettiest food on the shelf, and easiest to complete. Open kettle canning is quick and easy but requires you to work ONE JAR AT A TIME instead of filling them all at once. It’s not overly time consuming, but you do need to work quickly and be clean. Pull one hot jar out of your sterilizing vessel of choice (I use my oven, also rebellious), fill it with boiling hot food strained with a slotted spoon, ladle over the boiling syrup, debubble, wipe the rim with a damp paper towel, add the hot lid, secure with a band, and push aside to fill the rest ONE JAR AT A TIME. Also, be sure to keep the syrup with the spicy peppers at a full rolling boil the whole time. Once I am done canning, I cover the jars with a towel just to hold the heat in to help with the seal rate. Does it actually help? I think so, but it’s definitely not a required step. I just like to be tucked in when I take a nap, so I figured my jars would too! LOL. I have shared reels on how to do it, so be sure and scroll my IG or FB to find there. There’s a pretty funny one I made within the last month or so that was entertaining :D

Let’s can some hot peppers, shall we?

Equipment You Might Want:

Large Pot
Slotted Spoon
Pint or half pint canning jars
Canning lids & screw bands
Lid magnet
Jar funnel
Jar lifter
Steam canner
Water bath canner

Ingredients:

3 lbs jalapenos
2 cups 5% white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
6 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp celery seed
up to 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder, optional
4 cloves garlic, minced

Step 1: Prep

Start by rinsing fresh jalapeño peppers or banana peppers/Hungarian hot wax, or a mix of both, under cool running water. I think mixing some red jalapeños and green jalapeños with some wax peppers makes such a pretty jar with all the colors!

Wear gloves (so you don’t burn your hands), slice peppers using a sharp knife, removing the seeds if desired, but I leave them in.

Set aside in a bowl.

Step 2: Cook

In a large stock pot, combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, and cayenne pepper powder (if using).

Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil.

Once the syrup is boiling, reduce heat to a gently simmer. Add in the sliced peppers. Return mixture to a simmer and allow the peppers to cook for about 5 minutes. You CAN skip this step but this does shrink the peppers to make your jars appear fuller along with flavoring the syrup so if you have any leftover syrup, you can make a killer barbecue sauce with it!

Watch the pot with the peppers because it does like to foam and cook over and burn to your stovetop! Speaking from personal experience here (more than once).

Toward the end of the cook time with the peppers, add in minced garlic. Stir.

Step 3: Canning

If you want to open kettle can this recipe, you can, just know it’s rebel canning but also the easiest way for me.

Using a slotted spoon, fill pint or smaller jars with hot peppers to 1/2 inch headspace. I prefer half pint jars for this, because I pint really seems to be too much.

Ladle over hot syrup to 1/2 inch headspace (this means keep the liquid below 1/2 inch of the upper rim of the jar). Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.

Wipe rims of the jars thoroughly (sugar syrups are notorious for causing false seals cause they stickkkyyyyyyy) and add a lid on top of the jar and secure with a screw band according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Process jars in a steam canner or boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if necessary.

Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4: Storage

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures.

Shelf life is ’til you eat them. With the vinegar and sugar content, these will store for a very long time if needed and will be fresh as the day you canned them. Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best quality and palatability, but again, don’t go tossin’ if it’s longer.

Gift these to all your friends that are a fan of spicy foods!

Notes:

The sugar content can be adjustable, but since it’s a condiment and isn’t eaten as a main meal, I wouldn’t mess with it. Otherwise it wouldn’t be CANDY anymore.

This recipe can be done with mild peppers as well, like banana peppers or nadapenos (mild version of a jalapeno), that are smaller and very crunchy. They turn out wonderfully! Other spicy peppers that work are cayennes, red peter (IF YOU HAVE NOT GROWN THESE YOU NEED TO THEY’RE HILARIOUS), habaneros, and aurora.

This is also known as a “homemade cowboy candy” recipe, but I choose not to call it that because I am not a cowboy.

Homemade Candied Jalapenos Water Bath Canning Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Canning Time: 10

Servings: half pint jelly jars

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

Large pot
slotted spoon
Half pint canning jars
Canning lids & screw bands
Lid Magnet
jar funnel
jar lifter
steam canner
Water bath canner

Ingredients

3 lbs jalapenos
2 cups 5% white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
6 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp celery seed
up to 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder optional
4 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

tart by rinsing fresh jalapeño peppers or banana peppers/Hungarian hot wax, or a mix of both, under cool running water. I think mixing some red jalapeños and green jalapeños with some wax peppers makes such a pretty jar with all the colors!
Wear gloves (so you don't burn your hands), slice peppers using a sharp knife, removing the seeds if desired, but I leave them in.
Set aside in a bowl.
In a large stock pot, combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, and cayenne pepper powder (if using).
Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil.
Once the syrup is boiling, reduce heat to a gently simmer. Add in the sliced peppers. Return mixture to a simmer and allow the peppers to cook for about 5 minutes.
Watch the pot with the peppers because it does like to foam and cook over and burn to your stovetop!
Toward the end of the cook time with the peppers, add in minced garlic. Stir.
Using a slotted spoon, fill half pint jars with hot peppers to 1/2 inch headspace.
Ladle over hot syrup to 1/2 inch headspace (this means keep the liquid below 1/2 inch of the upper rim of the jar). Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe rims of the jars thoroughly (sugar syrups are notorious for causing false seals cause they stickkkyyyyyyy) and add a lid on top of the jar and secure with a screw band according to manufacturer's instructions.
Process jars in a steam canner or boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if necessary.
Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures.
Shelf life is 'til you eat them. With the vinegar and sugar content, these will store for a very long time if needed and will be fresh as the day you canned them. Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best quality and palatability, but again, don't go tossin' if it's longer.

Notes